


Best Thing I Ever Had

by LegionWithHisBadassN7Armor



Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types
Genre: Abusive Parents, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crimes & Criminals, Crush at First Sight, Dorian is Italian, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Homophobia, How Do I Tag, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Dorian Pavus, Pretty much the whole cast - Freeform, Religion, Slow Burn, Top Dorian, Trevelyan works at a gym, Vivienne (Dragon Age) is a Bitch, Vivienne and Trevelyan are bffs, and an architect, but gorgeous
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-09-03 03:23:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8694463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LegionWithHisBadassN7Armor/pseuds/LegionWithHisBadassN7Armor
Summary: A modern AU where Dorian is an Italian architect with troubled past. He falls for diffident Dakota Trevelyan who's working at a gym and seems to be carrying his share of emotional load.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic ever!! I don't know how I came up with this weird idea with Trevelyan working at a gym and Dorian crushing on him like a school girl, but anyway here it is :D Tbh idk where I'm going with this but this sounded good in my head. Totally stole the title from the song, sry about that  
> Not beta'd so this'll probably contain some mistakes

It wasn’t rare for Dorian to lay awake in his bed in the middle of the night. It had been an unusually hot week and he felt like he was about to languish. Opening a window wasn’t an option, it had been jammed closed for months and whenever Dorian thought he ought to do something about it something more urgent, like curling up in a blanket watching Netflix for the whole night, came up. He cursed in his head as he threw the gauzy blanket off his sweating upper body. Things could’ve worse been though, Dorian still remembered vividly the summers in Italy. His mother lying on the couch fanning her glistening forehead with a magazine. His grandmother wasn’t any better, constantly yelling Dorian to fetch her things, as she was old, weary and suffering in the tormenting heat. Even though it wasn’t as hot as it had been in Italy in his youth, sleeping through the whole night proved a rather difficult task. Dorian sighed and rubbed his sleepy eyes. He picked his phone from the nightstand, which in fact wasn’t a table, but a tall pile of books. Dorian had to blink a couple times as the bright screen illuminated the otherwise dim room. He had several messages all from Sera. He could tell she had been drunk while writing the messages as they were full of typos and mostly about bees.

After browsing his phone for awhile Dorian knew he wouldn’t be sleeping for the rest of the night. He dropped it on the pile of pillows he had heaped on the corner of his bed and threw his feet off the bed. Dorian dragged himself to the kitchen and opened the fridge door. It was empty aside from a bottle of probably spoiled milk and a very sad cup of grated cheese. He slammed the door close and made himself a cup of coffee instead. When he had the hot and steaming cup on his hands he sat down by the table and took a sip. His unfinished sketches were spread all around the table. Sometimes it took him weeks to find the right model and before he did, he tried just about everything. As Dorian eyed his quiet flat he couldn’t help but to snort. It wasn’t just the kitchen that was messy, the whole place had fallen into utter chaos. There were books, clothes, takeaways boxes, papers, pencils and only God knows what else all over the place. Dorian wasn’t usually a messy person, however when he was trying to start a new project he didn’t even notice the mess around him. It took quiet moments like drinking coffee in the middle of the night for him to wake up to the reality. He gave himself a mental slap, his flat was in even worse condition than Sera’s. And it was a lot to say, as she tended to collect all sorts of stuff she just happened to find, making her small apartment look like a flea market. Dorian was grateful that he had decided to keep the following day off, he would definitely sort the chaos, go to a grocery shop and finally deal with the _damned_ window.

Dorian was sorting the last of his laundry when his phone rang. He put down the sweatpants he had in his hands and picked up his phone. It was Sera.

“Oh, she’s alive,” Dorian tucked the phone between his ear and shoulder and folded the pants.

“Barely. Don’t remember shite ‘bout last night,” her voice sounded a bit hoarse.

“Well, you see that’s what you get when you go drinking.”

“Ha ha, real fun you are.”

“I try my best,” Dorian couldn’t help but to laugh a bit. Sera groaned and Dorian could almost see her rubbing her forehead.

“Love, I don’t think I go today. My friggin’ head is killing me,” she said after a short pause. Sera was referring to the group exercise she had persuaded Dorian to participate in. _‘It’ll be fun and besides there’ll be...tight yoga pants. A lot of them. And I heard the instructor is quite the looker himself, so there’ll be something for you too, yeah?’_ It wasn’t like Dorian had anything against exercising, quite the contrary. He just prefered working out alone; a quiet run around the block in the early hours of morning is just about as good as it gets.

“Oh, no you don’t. You were the one who insisted we go, remember?” Dorian said.

“Yeah, I do but I’m dying over here!”

“ _Please_ , you are simply feeling like shit.”

“Oh yeah? Didn’t notice myself,” Sera mumbled.

“We are going. Is Josie still coming?”

“Ugh, I hate you.”

“I love you too, dear. Now is she coming or not?”

“Yes, she is coming,” Sera sounded defeated.

“Wonderful. I’ll see you at one o’clock then. And remember, _yoga pants_ ,” Dorian whispered and hang up the call. Dorian was happy that he wouldn’t have to deal alone with the grumpy and hungover Sera, Josephine would be there too. He was actually surprised when she had agreed to come along, usually she had at least a million things to do and even when she hadn’t, relaxing, meaning other than going to watch a play or reading books, seemed to be extremely hard for her. Dorian had a hard time trying to picture her swinging a kettlebell back and forth, her usually neatly held black hair being messy from all the sweating and exercising. He was also almost sure that Sera would feel a lot better after seeing some yoga pants. And not to mention the _‘looker instructor’_.

***

Dorian was quite impressed with himself as he had managed to tidy up the whole apartment in an hour and a half. He’d go to the grocery store right after the group exercise and for once he was planning on cooking something nice instead of Chinese takeout. After placing the last book back to its rightful place on the bookshelf, he packed his training bag and headed out. At bus, heading there, Dorian texted their group chat. It didn’t take long to receive an answer. Okay, I’m almost there already. Dorian couldn’t help but to chuckle; so typical for Josie to arrive at least fifteen minutes too early. The lack of sleep was starting to catch up with Dorian and he felt his eyelids getting heavier with each passing minute. Luckily the ride wasn’t too long, or otherwise Dorian would’ve soon been snoring. He got off and saw Josie standing at the gym’s doors. Her hair was gathered to a high, flawless ponytail and she was already wearing her workout clothes. Dorian walked up to her, and as usual she didn’t even notice him at first, as she was browsing her phone. Josephine worked as a secretary at a huge company that organized all kinds of events, and therefore she was almost always attached to her phone.

“Hey,” Dorian said and she finally lifted her gaze.

“Oh, I didn’t see you there. My apologies,” she smiled and shoved her phone to her backpack.

“Have you heard from Sera?” Dorian asked as they entered the gym. The place was heavily lighted, almost too much so, and there was an energetic track playing in the background. An older and ridiculously muscled man sat behind the counter and he glanced at Dorian and Josephine as they entered the lobby.

“Yes, actually she called me just before you arrived. She’ll be here in a few minutes.”

“Yeah, okay. I’ll head for the changing room. I’ll see you guys there,” Dorian said and headed to the counter and the rather intimidating man sitting there.

“Sure thing,” Josephine said and took out her phone. Dorian paid for the ticket and started walking along a corridor leading towards the dressing room. The corridor had windows that reached all the way from the ceiling to the floor on its both sides, giving a view of the people working out in the training facilities. He was so caught up in watching them that suddenly he bumped into something. More like someone as Dorian heard a deep gasp following the impact.

“Oh god, I’m sorry! I wasn’t-,” Dorian fell silent as he got a good look of the man in front of him. If there was such a thing as perfection, that man was pretty damn close to it. He had a tanned skin, much like Dorian’s own, and eyes so green that they reminded him of emeralds. Not to mention his well-toned body visible because of the tight workout clothes.

“Ah no, the fault was mine,” the man seemed to as taken aback as Dorian was. It had never happened to Dorian before, but at that moment he seemed to be at loss for words. He just kept staring at the gorgeous man in front of him, most awkwardly so. The moment just dragged on and finally the man gave a small, nervous laugh.

“So...Uhm, yeah. I should go, I have a group exercise in a minute,” he said and rubbed the back of his neck. _Please, don’t go_ , was the first thing in Dorian’s mind. The man smiled so that a line of teeth could be seen, before he passed Dorian and kept walking along the corridor. Dorian just stood there wondering what had just happened. He must’ve been standing there quite some time as suddenly there was a rough pat on his shoulder. Dorian lifted his dazed gaze to meet up with a curious face rounded by a short blonde hair.

“What ’r ya zoning out?” Sera looked around her as to find something out of order.

“Weren’t you supposed to go to change your clothes..?” Josephine added with a questioning look on her face.

“I...I think I just met..,” Dorian couldn’t find the right words to describe what had just happened to him, as he wasn’t sure himself. Sera’s face brightened up in a matter of seconds.

“Ya met him, didn’t ya?” she smirked.

“Met who?” Josephine seemed to be confused.

“Our instructor, whatever his name was. Treve...T’was Treve-something,” Sera seemed to be lost in her own thought. Suddenly she clapped her hands together.

“But anyways, I knew you’d fancy him! I just knew!”

“I’m sorry, but who are we talking about again?” Josephine asked.

“Oh, you’ll see soon enough. But we better get moving, or otherwise we’ll miss the whole thing,” Sera noted and she was right. Dorian was slowly coming back to his senses, but not in a million year would he miss the lesson, or any chance of meeting with _him_ again.


	2. Chapter 2

Never before had Dorian felt himself as ridiculous as he did back then, practically drooling as Trevelyan entered the training room, carrying a large bag over his shoulder. He was wearing tight, black yoga pants and a loose t-shirt, baring his muscled arms to the admiring looks he probably got all the time. Not that Dorian wondered. Trevelyan positioned himself at the front of the mirror that was covering the entire wall, and let his bag fall to the ground. He kneeled to pick up a water bottle from it and Dorian tried, like _really_ tried not to look at the firm ass presented and the way the thin fabric stretched over it. God, Dorian felt like a first-class pervert. Which he probably was going to be if this kept on.

“Liking what’ya see, Pavus?” Dorian heard Sera whisper. Dorian shoved her with his elbow which only made the small girl chuckle. The three had spread their stuff at the right corner of the room, their training mats side by side. Josephine was constantly checking her phone and Sera just kept harassing Dorian. He started being really uncomfortable, so he tried changing the subject.

“What about yourself? Anyone catching your eye?”, Dorian tore his eyes from Trevelyan who was now stretching his legs.

“Don’t ya try to snake yer way out of this! I could go talk to him for ya,” Sera proposed. Dorian didn’t have time to answer as Josephine intervened.

“Are you talking about him? Our instructor?” she asked way too loud in Dorian’s opinion. He quickly turned to glance at Trevelyan who apparently hadn’t heard a thing of their conversation.

“Shhhh! You know, if you two could just leave it? It ain’t a big deal so stop fussing about it!” Dorian retorted. He was already embarrassed enough as it was, and he really didn’t need his friends treating him like a lovesick fool. It really wasn’t like him at all, to be so utterly mesmerized by another person whom he had just met.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude,” Josephine smiled apologetically. Sera was just about to open her mouth when Trevelyan suddenly spoke up. It was scary how the mere voice of the man could make Dorian’s heart beat slightly faster.

“Okay, let’s get this party started. For those who don’t know, I’m Dakota Trevelyan and I’ll be your instructor today,” he said with a warm smile.

“I said it was Trevelyan!” Sera exclaimed loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Dorian gasped in horror as almost everyone in the room turned to look at the three of them. Including extremely confused Dakota. If Dorian ever wished to be buried under ground, now was that moment. And Sera would be coming with him if he had any say in the matter. Sera seemed to have realized her mistake as she covered her mouth with her hands. Okay, I gotta say something. Anything. Dorian felt cold sweat creeping along his back. He gathered himself and dared to look at Dakota, only to find the man looking right back at him with his emerald eyes. It should’ve been awkward, given the situation, but somehow that brief gaze only soothed Dorian. Dakota let out a small chuckle, “Yeah, that’s my name at least when I last checked. Now shall we get started or what?”

***

The next hour and a half were pure torture. Dakota didn’t force anyone to work beyond their limits, he actually encouraged everyone to feel out for their own stamina, and work out by that. Dorian was in a rather good shape but there was hardly anyone in the room who could keep up with Dakota who didn’t even seem slightly tired. However Dorian couldn’t show how the workout got to him; it felt as his muscles were about to snap in half. Occasionally he would meet Dakota’s eyes in the mirror in front of them, and it was as if the man was challenging him. Needless to say, at the very second Dakota declared the lesson over, Dorian fell to the mat under him. He was panting and sweating like never before, but so was almost everyone else.

“Never again,” Sera managed to mumble. Josephine’s ponytail had fell open at some point and now black strands of hair were sticking to her forehead glistening with sweat.

“Well, this certainly was arduous,” Josie said as she brushed the hair off her face.

“Dorian, how are ya even alive? Saw ya working yer arse off there,” Sera asked.

“That’s called fine fitness,” he replied and stood up. Despite the workout being extremely hard, Dorian was feeling good. His muscles were sore as hell, but he also had this warm feeling lingering all over his body. He started collecting his things and so did Josephine and Sera after they managed to catch their breaths. Dorian couldn’t wait to get to shower; feeling water rushing down his burning body, slowly cooling it down while washing away all sweat. Before exiting the room, Dorian just had to look behind him. Dakota was still there, rolling his training mat.

“Hey, I’ll catch you guys in a minute,” Dorian said without averting his gaze from him. Sera was about to say something but Josephine grabbed her by hand and dragged her away. Dorian really wasn’t sure what he was doing, all he knew was that he _had_ to say something to him. It didn’t take long for Dakota to notice Dorian approaching him. The moment he did, a wide smile spread across his face.

“Uh, hey,” was all Dorian managed to muster up. _Really, that’s it? How about ‘Hey, I’m Dorian, the mayor of Awkward’?_

“Hi,” Dakota abandoned his training mat and got up. Dorian really didn’t think this through, what the hell was he supposed to say now? 

“So...Uhm, I’m Dorian. Pavus. Dorian Pavus,” he said with an embarrassingly shaky voice. _Real smooth, Dorian_. He couldn’t understand why he was acting in the way he did. Or maybe the fact that he was talking with a man looking like a flawless Greek statue had something to do with it. Well, whatever the reason, he still shouldn’t be acting like a damn fool.

“Okay Dorian, nice to meet you. I’d introduce myself but I’m guessing you remember my name,” Dakota offered his hand and Dorian hesitated only a second before taking it. Dakota’s hand was pleasantly warm, much like the man it was attached to. The handshake dragged way too long, neither of them letting go. After what seemed to have lasted for several minutes, Dakota finally pulled his hand away and gave a small laugh while doing so. Dorian realised he was smiling as well.

“You were quite impressive back there. I mean, I didn’t really think that many could keep up with me,” Dakota kept a short pause before continuing, “Aaaand that sounded priggish, didn’t it?” “Not at all!” Dorian exclaimed a little too eagerly, “You were amazing.” _What the hell, Dorian?_ Dakota seemed to taken aback by Dorian’s comment, no wonder. Real clever telling someone they’re amazing, when you’ve met them for the first time about a few hours earlier.

“Well yeah, I’m getting paid for it, so..,” Dakota shrugged and Dorian couldn’t help but to snort at that.

“So, you think you’ll come again? Hope I didn’t scare you with today’s lesson,” Dakota asked and knelt as he started to pack the last of his things. Dorian wasn’t sure what to make out of Dakota’s words. Was he implying he’d like to see Dorian again, or was he simply trying to keep the conversation going? He was brought back to earth as there were footsteps approaching. He and Dakota both turned to see who was coming. Of course it had to be Sera.

“Shite, did I interrupt something? Josie left her phone here, so I just came to pick it up. Weird, nowadays it’s like she’s attached to that damned thing, like it’s her new limb or something,” she probably would’ve kept talking if Dorian hadn’t cleared his throat rather loudly.

“Not at all. I was just leaving anyways,” Dakota said and threw his bag over his shoulder, “Maybe we’ll meet again sometime.”

“Sure, that’d be nice,” Dorian’s mouth moved on its own before his brain had time to stop it. Dakota smiled shortly before leaving the room. Dorian could see Sera smirking from the corner of his eye.

“ _Not a word_ ,” he grunted before following Dakota.

***

Sera could be a real pain in the ass if she willed. Dorian was grateful she went to the opposite direction, because he wasn’t sure if he could’ve listened any more of her constant prying about Dakota. Josephine on the other hand was being rather quiet, expect for an occasional laughter. After bidding them farewell, Dorian got on the buss. Soon it started raining and he watched as the raindrops raced along the window. The afternoon had been really confusing; normally Dorian was unsettled by almost nothing, yet the last couple hours he had been acting like a lovesick schoolgirl. How could a single person mess up his head so thoroughly in so short period of time, was a mystery to him. He thought about Dakota the entire time he sat on the buss, with his forehead leaning against the cool window. Dakota had the most alluring smile as it revealed his teeth that were a bit aslant. Somehow that only managed to make him even more attractive, if it was even possible. Dorian almost forgot about the groceries as he was so caught in his thoughts. The market passing by was quite the wake up call and he jumped off at the last minute before the doors shut.

***

The rain had stopped by the time Dorian got home. It was a shame really, because he liked rain. It always calmed him and somehow cleared the air. Finally the way too hot and dry stint had ended. Maybe now sleeping would include something else than twirling from one side of the bed to another. The heat was the worst really; in winter one could bury oneself under dozens of blankets and turn up the heating. But in the heat that had tormented the whole England for the past week, it was impossible to find any kind of relief. Kicking off the blankets was next to nothing, not to mention the jammed window that denied him even the slightest breeze, if there even was such. Okay, that one was because of Dorian himself, but it just was so hard to find time to make a few minutes call.

It was truly satisfying to finally fill the refrigerator. That added to a clean flat, Dorian was starting to feel like a proper person again. Like _himself_ again. He put the salmon he had bought to the oven with potato wedges and headed for the cough. He turned on the TV, but when he didn’t find anything worth watching he went to fetch his phone. There was like a thousand messages from their group chat. It was unusual how many of them were from Josephine. Apparently some _awful woman_ had stole a job right under the nose of Josie’s company. The texts were quite harsh, considering who they were coming from. Josephine seemed to be really upset and Dorian couldn’t really blame her. ‘U want some company? I’m just making food, way too much for one’ he sent.

‘ _Really? I’d hate to be a bother_.’ Typical of her concentrating on being polite when she probably was ready to punch someone.

‘ _It's no trouble, just come over_ ’ Dorian sent.

‘ _hey invite me 2_ ’ Sera joined the conversation.

‘ _Are you sure you can behave?_ ’

‘ _i already said ‘m sorry. plus u got 2 talk with him soo_ ’

‘ _Fine, but you better leave my cookies alone_ ’

‘ _They had raisins in them anyways’_

***

About half an hour later the three of them were laying on Dorian’s couch, bellies so full none of them were really able to move. Dorian didn’t even have the energy to clean up the kitchen, he’d do it later.

“Josie, ya can say _bitch_ , it won’t kill ya,” Sera said as she rolled through the channels.

“Why would I when it will do nothing?” Josephine sighed.

“Well, it’ll make ya feel better.” Vivienne de Fer was apparently the general manager of a rival company and with most vicious schemes she had managed to steal an important contract from Josephine and her company. The deal had been almost certain, when mr de Ghislain had suddenly informed he would use the services of de Fer’s company after all.

“We worked so hard to get that job and now it’s all for nothing!” Josephine cried. Dorian stroked her shoulder and she leant against him.

“Can we please talk about something else?” she asked. Dorian and Sera exchanged looks.

“Yes, like ‘bout a certain someone,” Sera wiggled her eyebrows. Dorian knew that part of Sera truly wanted to cheer Josephine up, but he also knew that Sera couldn’t wait to stick her nose to Dorian’s affairs.

“ _No_ ,” Dorian said immediately.

“He certainly was handsome,” Josephine said quietly.

“Guys, _please_ ,” Dorian tried but deep down he knew there was no stopping the two of them.

“Please tell me ya have searched for him.”

“No, I have not, nor will I. He was a nice looking guy, but it doesn’t mean like I’m interested in him or something,” Dorian rubbed his forehead. _If only they’d knew…_

“We could do it now,” Josephine looked at Sera.

“Josie, you too?” Dorian gasped and dramatically placed his hand over his heart. Sera had that mischievous look on her face.

“Let’s do it,” she said before taking out her phone. Dorian buried his face in his hands as Josephine moved to sit next to Sera.

“I don’t wanna know anything about him, you hear me?”

“Ya can try to lie to yourself but I think we all know whaddya really want.”

“I can’t see what’s the harm,” Josephine shrugged.

“Ugh, I’m way too sober for this,” Dorian got up and dragged himself to the fridge, “You guys want beer or...Yeah beer, that’s all I got.”

“Sure,” Josephine answered for the both of them. She didn’t even lift her gaze from the phone. Dorian took three bottles and returned to the couch.

“Have you find anything?” Dorian tried not to sound too interested as he took a sip.

“Oh, there it is! He does have Instagram!” Josie pointed at the screen. Dorian couldn’t see a thing as her hair was blocking the view.

“Oh c’mon guys! Let me see,” Dorian said but neither of the girls reacted. He sighed before he squeezed himself to sit between them. Considering his looks, it would’ve been likely for Dakota’s Instagram to be filled with pictures of him (not that Dorian would’ve minded), but strangely his page seemed to consist of travel pictures. There were a few pictures that had Dakota in them, but most of them were group shots with a beautiful scenery behind them. Dorian could feel his heart beating slightly faster as he watched the pictures. Dakota seemed to be such a nice guy. And gorgeous which was a rare combination. Suddenly there was a picture that made his blood freeze; In it Dakota was kissing a cheek of a rather elegant looking and dark skinned woman. It wasn’t a surprise to Dorian, but it still stinged. Harder than he’d care to admit.

“Aw, they’re always playing for the different team. Like that cute waitress,” Sera sighed.

“That…That _bitch_!” Josephine suddenly screamed. Dorian and Sera were both looking at her with wide eyes.

“That’s her! Vivienne de Fer!” Josie seemed furious. Dorian was starting to like this Vivienne less and less. They stayed quiet for a while, Josephine breathing through her nose. Finally it was Sera who spoke, “So...Anyone want another beer?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Struggling with commas, but trying my best >_<  
> Also the ending kind of ended for a cliffhanger??!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The update is ridiculously late and the reason for that is the fact that I've been feeling that my my writing is good enough etc. and therefore I didn't really have motivation to write anything. Idk if anyone's even interested in reading this anymore but anyways here is chapter 3! (that no one asked :D)  
> Plus the ending seems sloppy. Again.

Getting wasted in the middle of the week really wasn’t the brightest idea. Especially when there was an important presentation with potential customers the following day. Dorian was awakened by a painfully loud alarm. He groaned as he tried to ignore the hideous peeping noise. It was as his brain was about to trickle from his ears and his aching back wasn’t doing any better. Another great idea to pass out on the floor, and on top of that to sleep with an arm under your body. It was the tingling pain that hit Dorian hard enough for him to finally open his eyes. It was as his eyelids were made of steel not to mention the brightness of the room that burned his sore eyes. Dorian just lied there, waiting for the pain to subside. When he actually felt his arm again he rubbed his face before sitting up. The damned phone was still peeping like the room was on fire. “Yes yes yes, I got it!” Dorian grunted. Sitting up was still somewhat tolerable, but standing up was another thing. The minute he stood with his two own feet he was about to fall; the whole room was spinning and he felt like he was about to throw up. Which he probably was. Dorian forced himself to walk up to his phone. He swiped the alarm off and sighed as a comforting silence finally fell to the flat.

***

 _It could’ve gone worse_ , Dorian kept repeating to himself as he sat on the buss, watching the streets pass by. Sure, he had been sweating and was on the verge of vomiting what little he had in his stomach the whole time, but somehow he had managed to stay professional. Actually the viewers had seemed rather impressed and Dorian was quite hopeful they’d pick his design. But everything _could’ve_ gone so wrong. Whose idea was it, to go to a bar after a mellow home-cooked meal. Dorian had a certain blonde in mind. He grunted as another gush of sickness twisted his stomach. An older lady sitting opposite of Dorian glanced at him as he covered his mouth trying to cover a gag creeping along his throat. The lady scoffed as she shook her head in disapproval. _Well excuse me if I’m hungover_ , Dorian thought to himself. All he wanted do was to get home and bury himself in blankets and watch Netflix for the rest of the day. He’d just have to get through the agonizing buss ride with angry lady glaring at him. Dorian sighed as he let his head bump against the window. It wasn’t his intention to listen to the two girls sitting behind him chatting rather loudly but their constant giggling was getting quite obtrusive with time. For several minutes they had been bashing some girl named Cassie who according to them was nothing but a lying skank. What really caught Dorian’s attention was a sudden gasp coming from either of them.

“ _Shit_ , look at that guy!” the girl squeaked. It was stupid, but for a split second Dorian thought the girl was referring to him. He turned around to see the girls looking at the doorway and he followed their gaze instinctively. 

There he was, getting on the bus along with a middle aged man. The moment Dorian recognized the green eyes, he forgot he owned a pair of working lungs. It was as the sickness gnawing his insides had also slackened by the mere presence of Dakota. He was wearing the same black jogging pants as day before, now accompanied by a dark blue tank top. And he was slightly sweating. Actually _sweating_. According to his overall appearance he’d probably been jogging. As awkward as it was, Dorian just kept staring at him. And he wasn’t the only one, even the grumpy lady had finally left Dorian alone as she eyed Dakota from head to toe. The man himself seemed to be utterly unaware of the attention he was gathering as his ears were plugged by white earphones. He was browsing something on his phone, probably changing the song. Dorian wasn’t sure whether he wanted Dakota to notice him or not. Both. Dorian concluded he wanted both at the same time. He wasn’t given much of a choice in the matter as Dakota finally lifted his gaze from the screen of his phone. It didn’t take long for him to notice Dorian who still was staring at him. Not _staring_ , more like studying the other man’s face. It probably looked as awkward as hell to an outsider; for moments they just looked at each other, neither of them moving. Dakota’s mouth fell open before a wide smile spread across his face. He raised his hand in a small greeting and Dorian returned the gesture. Dakota looked nervously around him as if he wasn’t sure whether to approach Dorian or not. They were acquaintances sure, but they’d met only once and exchanged a few words. Dorian knew that. He knew that he knew almost nothing about the man. Despite this he longed for Dakota’s company and he could only hope the feeling was mutual. Dorian let out a relieved sigh as Dakota started making his way to him.

“Uh...hey,” Dakota smiled as he rubbed the back of his neck. “Can I sit here?” he continued and tilted his head to the empty seat next to Dorian.

“Sure, by all means,” Dorian said and moved his portfolio to make more space. Dakota sat down to see the grumpy lady staring at him. Understandably he seemed rather uncomfortable under the attention.

“I know this isn’t- I mean I….Just if you want to be in peace-” Dakota suggested while avoiding looking at Dorian.

“No!” Dorian gasped before his brain could really handle what his ears had just heard. Dakota seemed pleased with Dorian’s reaction and he finally dared to look at him properly. Yet again they were staring at each other. The moment broke when Dakota let out a small chuckle.

“What do you have in there?” he asked and pointed at the portfolio.

“Ah, just some sketches and layouts.”

“Really?” Dakota looked Dorian with bright eyes; he looked like a puppy that was about to receive a treat.

“Yeah, I just had a presentation with potential customers,” Dorian answered as he traced his fingers along the corners of the folder.

“Are you like an-”

“Architect. Yes,” Dorian closed the sentence. He couldn’t help but to notice the grumpy lady eyeing at his portfolio.

“That’s amazing! I kinda got the artistic vibes from you,” Dakota exclaimed. Dorian just smiled at that. He was about to open his mouth when Dakota turned to look at the grumpy lady. 

“Excuse, but is there something on my face?” he asked with a forced smile.

“I-No, no, no,” the lady seemed shocked that someone dared to talk to her.

“Then if you could stop staring at me,” Dakota raised his other eyebrow. The lady stared at him as if he was a dancing circus monkey. After she recovered from the worst she just scoffed and picked up her purse before getting off the buss. A moment of silence passed before Dorian cracked up. “Mighty well riddance,” he laughed. It didn’t take long for Dakota to also burst into a laughter. Soon enough they both were laughing and Dorian only calmed down when his stomach was hurting.

“Well she just kept staring! I know I look pretty hideous but what can you expect after a run?” Dakota ruffled his brown hair. _Yeah, if hideous means gorgeous_. 

“She was slowly staring me to death even before you arrived.”

“Well good thing then I happened to pick this buss,” Dakota smiled. For a while they sat in silence, but somehow it wasn’t uncomfortable. It was easy to talk with Dakota; he seemed such a warm, open and witty person. A warm, open and witty person who most likely was also dating Vivienne de Fer. The picture of Dakota and her together cut deep again.

“So, you’ve been running, huh?” Dorian forced himself to say.

“Yup.”

“How come you’re sweating? I mean you seemed pretty unaffected yesterday.”

“Yeah, well ten kilometers will do that to you. There’s no better ease for hangover.”

“Are you hungover?” Dorian was amazed; it somehow didn’t occur to him that Dakota actually was a real person with flaws and desires.

“I might be,” Dakota teased.

“Welcome to the club,” Dorian murmured.

“But you said you had a presentation today..?”

“Well what can I say? I’m a capable man,” Dorian shrugged. He was getting quite concerned when there was no sharp reply. Dakota just stared at him, in the same manner as Dorian had been looking at him when he first stepped on the bus. Not staring, but studying. Finally he spoke.

“Dorian,” he began and Dorian felt a heat spreading throughout his body when he heard his name, “Will you walk with me?”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was writing this at 2 am so there's probably tons of mistakes :P

In all his years, Dorian had stumbled upon all sorts of means to deal with hangover. Some, like himself, liked to curl up in blankets for the rest of the day and drink way too many cups of coffee, while some liked to wolf down anything with a ridiculous amount of grease in it. Some just drank more. Like _padre_. Oh yes, _Padre_ used to drink and the more he did, the more _madre_ yelled. Padre would sit by the kitchen table, a bottle in his sweaty palm. He’d take a draft ever so often and land the bottle on the table with a loud slam. As time went by, the sound of the bottle hitting the table would become louder and louder. As a 7-years-old, glued to the blurry screen of the TV, Dorian did not pay attention to the glances Madre was sending towards the kitchen. She’d tap her long nails on the pages of the magazine she was trying to read. Suddenly she’d close the cover and stand up. She’s send Dorian to his room.  
“But _Madre_ , I’m watching this,” he’d try to argue. Then _Madre_ would give him this look that indicated that she wasn’t asking. If the look didn’t work she’d snap her fingers and point the stairs. Dorian would groan, but still obey her. After all there was nothing scarier than a pissed-off _Madre_. As Dorian got to his room he slammed the door shut after him. The damned thing didn’t stay closed though. Dorian lost count after the 20th time Padre had promised to take a look at it. As a child it wasn’t so bad, he’d just take out his pencils and draw. He didn’t really understand why Madre was yelling so much so it was somehow easier to ignore the racket. As years went by, things got more complicated. The door was still broken and Dorian had stopped waiting for a miracle. The neverending racket was still there and as a 15-year old teenager, Dorian understood what it was all about. Knew better than he would’ve cared to. Designing weird castles didn’t help anymore. The chair didn’t keep the door shut. It didn’t keep _Madre_ ’s weeping away.

__

However there was no such way of fighting a hangover that would’ve rivalled Dakota Trevelyan. It was a little frightening actually, how easily and quickly the man had managed to completely enthrall Dorian. The way Dakota spoke, joked, smiled and laughed made Dorian feel all warm and fuzzy inside; It was more like he had known the man for years, not a few days. Dorian carried his portfolio under his arm as they walked and he wasn’t really sure how long they’d been going at it, but to be honest he couldn’t even find himself to care. For all he knew he could’ve spent the whole day with Dakota. They talked about everything, including themselves, and Dorian thanked every deity in the existence for the fact that he didn’t blurt out something that would’ve given away his stalking. But as he had already figured out, Dakota loved to travel. He told about his numerous journeys; it seemed the man had been just about everywhere. But the strangest thing about him was that despite everything, Dakota seemed fairly insecure. He stuttered quite a lot; Not that Dorian minded, it was adorable if anything. But it wasn’t just the stuttering that indicated that Dakota was tense; he was also constantly observing Dorian’s face as if he was expecting to find any trace of discomfort there. A rather strange trait for someone like Dakota. The situation was quite alien, probably for the both of them. Walking a hangover away with a hot personal trainer. Dorian however didn’t feel all that nervous and he couldn’t comprehend why the other man seemed as jumpy as he did. It wasn’t a very fair comparison as Dorian considered himself as rather confident, but still it seemed weird for Dakota to be so diffident. As they walked, Dorian couldn’t help but to notice a gold chain around Dakota’s neck as the man kept fumbling with it. Dakota seemed to have noticed the given look as he pulled the necklace from under his shirt. It was a small cross.  
“Before you ask, yes this actually means something to me,” Dakota’s eyes fell to the cross. Dorian wasn’t sure what to make of it. Meant as he was religious? Dorian asked about it and that earned him a small chuckle from Dakota, “I do believe in God, yes.” Dorian had developed a rather contradictory opinion about religion, mostly thanks to his family. He was raised to believe in God, but that belief was also one of those reasons why he left home. Why was he supposed to believe in something that condemned his whole existence? Dorian realized he had immersed himself in rather unpleasant memories only when Dakota spoke.  
“I-I hope that’s not an issue..?” Now he sounded downright scared. Dorian slapped himself mentally. It was not the time nor the place to dwell in the past. “An issue? Not at all. I was just a bit surprised. Didn’t take you for the religious sort, you see,” Dorian waved his hand indifferently. He tried to keep his voice as neutral as possible, but thinking back always brought back nasty memories. No matter how many years passed, no matter how many times he told himself not to care, he still sometimes found himself standing in the kitchen, _Madre_ bursting to tears as she stared at his own son like he was nothing but a disgusting oddity. The memory was getting too vivid for Dorian’s comfort and he was thankful for Dakota to once again interrupting his train of thought. “Not too common these days, huh? It’s a pity though. I mean when I think of all the good it’s done to me...And not just to me, but to so many. I think that the best time of my life was that when I spent almost a year in Namibia,” Dakota dared to smile again. For now Dorian pushed aside all his doubts concerning christianity along with the depressing memories. He knew they’d probably be back at nightfall.

It’s pitiful really, but Dorian’s heart actually missed a beat when Dakota told he should head back home. He explained that he’d promised to meet up with a friend later, and all Dorian could think of was Vivienne de Fer and her perfect nails gliding along Dakota’s toned arm. Like Dorian had any claim on the man. _The man you’ve met twice and now are drooling all over for_ , his mind helpfully provided. Yes, they didn’t know each other all that well yet, but maybe this was one of those ‘ _I looked at him and just knew_ ’ type of things. _Well, whatever helps you sleep better_ , the little voice in the rational part of his mind continued its nagging. Dorian realised he’d been just standing there with a blank stare as different parts of his mind were punching each others. Then suddenly there was a strong warmth on his right arm, just above the wrist. It brought Dorian back to earth as he let his eyes follow along his arm. It was Dakota, holding his wrist gently. Dorian’s eyes locked with the man who was looking at him with a brow raised.  
“Uhm...you were zoning out a bit?”  
“Ah, yes. That’s drinking for you,” Dorian forced out a chuckle. “Right,” Dakota flashed him a small smile. The smile faded out almost immediately and his eyes fell to his hand that was still wrapped around Dorian’s wrist. He let go quickly and cleared his throat the same time. Dorian couldn’t stop the small gasp of disappointment. Why he was acting like a 13-years-old girl who held hands with her crush for the first time? For fuck’s sake he was a 30-years-old man. A reasonable man who was _not_ infatuated with Dakota Trevelyan. “I’m probably stepping out of the bounds here, but I-uh...I mean I enjoyed this and I was just wondering if you’d like to do this again?” Dakota managed to ask. His nervous eyes seemed reluctant to meet Dorian’s who in turn was just staring at the other man.

***

Horrific images of _Madre_ did not return that night. Instead of curling in a blanket, thinking about his miserable youth, Dorian laid in bed with eyes open. Dakota had wanted to meet him again. Dakota had asked for his number. He would meet Dakota again. Dorian didn’t know what was happening to him, why he was laying in bed, caressing the wrist of his right hand. At that moment he didn’t care, he felt good doing that. Felt good thinking about the warm grip, thinking about him fumbling with the cross around his neck. It didn’t matter if Dakota wouldn’t want Dorian like that. Dorian didn’t expect that. Even if it would turn out that Dakota wasn’t what Dorian thought he were. Even if Dakota was together with Vivienne. None of those things mattered. Dorian had had that one hungover day with him. Dorian had his touch and it would remain there on his wrist, shutting the damn door for the night.


End file.
